


i'll always love you

by mikesfreckles



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Babies, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Fanfiction, Mileven, Nightmares, forget s3 i'm writing post s2 for the rest of my life, i love them, i miss them, mileven fluff, mileven is my DRUG, mileven is my lifeline, ok enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-06-28 18:24:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19817962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikesfreckles/pseuds/mikesfreckles
Summary: “Mike, are you okay?!” El’s shrill, panicked voice filled the cabin.His arms and legs had multiple cuts that were beginning to bleed at different rates. Nothing too alarming. They only stung, it wasn’t  unbearable. What really hurt was the large gash on the side of his right cheek. Mike could feel the blood drip heavily out of his face and onto his shoulder.None of that mattered though, as he saw and registered the complete panic on El’s face. He was fine, he just needed to be there for her.OREl has a nightmare. Her powers are out of control. Mike tries to help.





	i'll always love you

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Risks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13341867) by [OTTSTF](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTTSTF/pseuds/OTTSTF). 



> ^^if you’re reading this, hi! i love your work. you’re amazing.
> 
> long time, no write(?). i have another idea in mind which i’ll hopefully have out soon enough. i’m on vacation too, so the next one will most likely be posted when i get back. 
> 
> by the way, this is my first fanfic i've posted since s3. s3 murdered me, i'll never recover. i think i'll just write post s2 for the rest of my life. that way, my babies can be happy because rn it seems like they will never be.
> 
> enjoy this y’all.
> 
> -rated T for blood and good stuff like that-

Hopper jolted awake in his office chair. He groaned and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wash away the exhaustion. His slacking off during work had been a result of another one of El’s nightmares. Ever since that gate thing, which only happened a little over a week ago, her (usually) peaceful dreams have been replaced with ones of bad memories.

These nightmares aren’t too normal either. Usually, she’d just wake up screaming and sobbing, and Hopper would have to calm her and wait until she fell asleep once again, even if it took hours. However, recently, they had taken a turn for the worse. Along with the screaming and crying, she began to subconsciously alter things. Break dishes, move furniture, slam doors. When these kinds of nightmares occurred, Hopper had to scramble up quickly to prevent all their belongings from being destroyed. 

After about four nights of the horrible nightmares, Hopper was so tired he could barely think straight. He’d been spending his nights calming his recently adopted daughter. He knew he had to do something about El before he lost his mind.

So, after a moment of silently debating with himself, he decided to invite that Wheeler kid she likes so much for a sleepover. He figured if anyone could make her sleep through the night, it’d be him. Plus, El had been begging to see him again.

So that night, he called the Wheeler household from his office desk phone, and luckily, the middle child answered. Hopper briefly explained (kind of forgetting the part where she’d been destroying everything) why he wanted Mike to come over, and even so, that kid freaked out. 

“Why did you wait to call me now?! She needs me! I can’t believe this!” he went on, showing no signs of stopping.

Hopper listened through about three minutes of lecturing (although it felt like three hours) before he finally stopped. 

“Ya done kid?” 

“Yeah, sorry. I just wish you told me earlier.” His voice was filled with pain and worry.

Hopper couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

He told Mike he’d pick him up around 6.

After the call, Hop had to resume his dreaded paperwork, even though most of his work ended up being him falling asleep.

~~~

It was about 6:15 when Hopper realized that he wasn’t going to make it out in time to pick up the kid. After all this paperwork, that conference that ran for a goddamn hour, and his exhaustion delaying him even more, there was no way he would get there, at least for a few good hours. 

He made a quick phone call to the Wheeler household and Mike frantically answered, wondering where Hop was. 

“Go ahead and bike there, I’ll come home in a few hours. No funny business. You’re there to help her through the night.” Hopper warned, not fully trusting the teenage boy. 

“What do you think I’m going to do? Even after all this time, you still don’t trust me,” Mike muttered, frustratedly. 

Hopper just rolls his eyes before responding, “Whatever. I’ll be there soon enough.” And with that he hangs up the phone before Wheeler could say another word. 

~~~

Mike rode down the street, trying his best to remember the route he was shown only twice.

His mind was swarmed with the thought of El waking up every night, and not being able to trust her own mind when she fell back asleep. Mike felt guilty for not being there. Even though he hadn’t known until a few hours earlier, he couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve _done_ something. Anything.

As he began to see the dim cabin lights in appear in the distance, he felt a smile creep up onto his face. El had been back for 9 days now, and he had been happier than he had ever been. They had officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, and it’s all he's ever wanted. Their friends taunted them (mainly Mike) on a daily basis about it, including how he turned from completely depressed to his usual happy self in about 5 seconds. Their comments always bothered him to some extent, but honestly, it’s not like he could deny they were true. 

His dopey grin quickly turned into a soft frown of worry as he approached the cabin door after hiding his bike in some bushes. 

Mike began to repeat the secret knock he’d been taught on the door, but it flung open before he had a chance to finish it. Behind it revealed El, wearing a cute, plain and simple yellow top being barely covered by her overalls. She only has socks on. Her short, curly hair sat like a halo on the top of her head. A big smile was on her face. As he saw her, all his worries were washed away and replaced with a goofy grin. 

After a moment of them locking eyes, she ran into his arms, nearly knocking him over. 

Mike hugged her back tightly before whispering in her ear, “I missed you.”

In response, she hugged him even tighter. They stayed like that for a bit before she took his hand and led him into the cabin.

“I didn’t know you were coming!” El said, while leading him to the couch. 

They plopped down. “Hopper called me and told me about your nightmares. He wants me to sleep over tonight so I can try and help you sleep tonight.” Mike explained, taking her hand in his gently.

“Oh.” She looked away, feeling a bit ashamed for having trouble with simply _sleeping._ She then looked back up at him, her eyes filled with happiness once again. “You’re staying over?” 

“Yeah!” Mike chuckled at her excitement. 

El then leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. It lingered for a moment as she reluctantly pulled away. Mike’s cheeks immediately flushed pink. 

“What was that for?” He asked, happily.

“For helping me.”

~~~

As they watched the first _Star Wars_ movie for the 60th time, he felt El’s breathing turn into a slow, steady pace against his chest. He squeezed her fingers gently before letting go quickly to turn off the TV. El snuggled into him when he did, subconsciously wanting to get closer to him. Mike smiled softly at the realization. He leaned back into the couch slowly to not disturb the sleeping girl. He took her hand in his once again, and closed his eyes, getting ready for the night ahead of him.

~~~

As El shut her eyes, she thought of those nightmares that had been plaguing her for the past week or so. They were always similar; Papa came back, or those demodogs (as Dustin had repeatedly called them) were after her, and she couldn’t defeat them all. The worst ones were when Mike was taken from her all over again.

El was even more scared to fall asleep in his arms. What if she managed to do something him? She was horrified to think that she could _hurt_ him. 

However, as much as she had feared it, El was no match for the wave of exhaustion that washed over her, and she succumbed. Mike was quite comfortable anyways.

~~~

Darkness surrounded her. Water was under her feet. The Void.

It was her, him, two men and a chair.

“El! El! Don’t leave me!” Mike’s voice rang through her ears. His dark eyes were completely filled with fear.

No matter how fast she ran or far she went, Mike was out of her reach. The bad men had him. They dragged him away from her, and she couldn’t save him.

El tried to use her powers to stop them, but it was as if they were gone. Nothing worked. She dropped to her knees, defeated. She screamed, tears streaming down her face. Mike continued to shout for her, him crying as well. 

The two men (neither of which she could make out) holding him by the arms (much like El was dragged when she was still imprisoned), then shoved him the chair and tied him to it. El watched in agony as he resisted, still crying out for her. One man then pulled out a gun and held it to Mike’s head. El’s eyes widened, now quiet from shock. Mike went quiet as well and shut his eyes, waiting for the impending doom. 

“Don’t do it!” El screamed, still watching with tears that showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. 

The man waited a moment, and looked El in the eyes. It was Brenner. _Papa._

“You made me do this, Eleven.” He said coldly before pulling the trigger. 

A gunshot rang through her ears as she shut her eyes, not able to watch the sight in front of her.

When she looked back up, Mike and Brenner were gone.

"Mike!" She cried out. "MIKE!"

El screamed as loud as she could as the cabin slowly came back into view. She heard a deafening shattering sound, and her shrill screams came to a halt. She felt something begin to pelt her, and she covered her face instinctively. Sharp stings came from her arms. 

El opened her eyes to see what she had been hit with. Glass shards covered the floor. 

Her eyes then went to Mike who was sitting up in shock. 

Her worst fears had come true.

~~~

Mike awoke to El still against him, their hands still intertwined. Her breathing was a bit uneven, and he could see in the dim cabin light that she was sweating a bit. This immediately worried him, fearing she was having a nightmare. He decided to give it a few more minutes, not wanting to disturb her if he was just overreacting.

He looked around for a clock to check the time. While searching, he saw that Hopper's bed was still empty and nicely made. He couldn't spot a clock anywhere and decided that it probably wasn't too late at night.

After a few minutes of watching El sleep to make sure she was okay, he decided to shut his eyes and go back to sleep.

He was close to dozing off when he heard El's breathing pick up pace quickly. His eyes opened immediately, completely losing any tiredness he had. She began to stir, and she let go of his hand and grabbed his shirt subconsciously as if she were holding on for dear life. 

Mike grabbed her shoulders, moving her gently, but rapidly off his chest and shook her delicately. "El. El! Wake up!" He continued to shake her, but she continued to breathe heavily and also began to whimper.

Her whimpers kept going, and increased in volume. Eventually, they became a piercing scream. The shriek shattered all the recently replaced windows almost immediately. Mike had little time to cover his face. The glass hit him like snow that fell from the sky.

After a moment that felt like it was going in slow-motion, the glass stopped coming. He opened his mouth in pure shock, and a bit of pain.

He glanced over at El, who was now awake.

“Mike, are you okay?!” El’s shrill, panicked voice filled the cabin.

His arms and legs had multiple cuts that were beginning to bleed at different rates. Nothing too alarming. They only stung, it wasn’t unbearable. What really hurt was the large gash on the side of his right cheek. Mike could feel the blood drip heavily out of his face and onto his shoulder. 

None of that mattered though, as he saw and registered the complete panic on El’s face. He was fine, he just needed to be there for her.

"El, El, I'm okay," Mike raised his hand to her face and delicately dried her tears that were rapidly falling from her eyes. 

"No, Mike, it's not okay! I could have killed you!" She was on the verge of hysteria.

"El, listen to me-"

"Look at you! You're bleeding! Your cheek! I hurt y-you..." El shrunk into her hands and sobbed. She smudged the blood on her arms.

Mike ignored his own pain and reached out for her. He placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. El took his hand off immediately. "Don't. I'll just hurt you more!" She cried out.

Mike was crying his own tears now. The salty water coming from his eyes seeped into his wound as they fell. He winced and wiped his tears, only for more to fall.

The November cold was pouring into the cabin.

"I'm a monster. Look at what I did!" El's face was red and puffy, and tears were clinging to her eyelashes. Her soft, brown eyes were full of sadness and regret. "How can you still like me? Want to be around me?"

Mike took El by the hands firmly, but reassuringly. "El. You are _not_ a monster. You can cut me, break my bones, hell, even _kill me_ and I will still _always_ want to be around you. I'll still love you." Mike's eyes widened at his own statement. Those words rolled off his tongue so easily, as if he had been saying them his entire life. He had always had this _feeling_ that the word "like" wasn't strong enough to describe what he felt for her. But love? He was only fourteen. Was he even ready for that? Would she even feel the same? Did she even _know_ what that meant? His doubts always prevented him from saying the words, but in this moment, they felt so right.

El smiled at that. "You love me?"

Mike blushed bashfully and looked down at his arms that had spots of dried blood on them. "Yeah, I do."

El gently touched his freckled cheek (the one without the cut), and traced the dots. He looked back at her with those dark eyes. "I love you, too."

Mike grinned widely and cringed a bit at the pain that surged through his face. El gave him a quick peck on the lips to avoid hurting him (more than she unfortunately already had) to show a bit of affection.

They gazed lovingly into each-other's eyes before El shivered due to the wind that came through the holes where the windows were once placed.

"Oh God, you're cold. Come, let's get the blood off ourselves and we can go back to sleep." El nodded, and followed Mike off the couch.

As he grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with warm water, El asked, "Did you really mean what you said?"

Mike took a moment to recall what she was talking about. Then, he nodded without looking up. "Of course."

After wringing the cloth out so it wasn't dripping wet, he took her left arm and began to gently wash the blood off. He was a near pro at this from washing the blood off her nose quite a few times.

El couldn't help but wonder why he would love a complete freak like her. He was so caring and never got tired of her questions. He was protective and never afraid to be bold. He was also very pretty. If she had learned anything from her soaps, it'd be that not many boys are like Mike. She was blessed to have him in her life. He could have a normal girl. One that won't nearly kill him in his sleep. One that knows all the stuff a fourteen year old girl should know. One that he can see everyday in school, and not have restrictions to visit. She could go on. But instead, Mike chose her. He loved _her. Why her?_

Almost as if he was intentionally reassuring her thoughts, he said softly, "I'll always love you."

**Author's Note:**

> so, i'm v proud of this. i actually buckled down and finished it. wow, that's a first.
> 
> i'm sorry if it gets confusing at times, i wanted to make different povs clear. i tried.
> 
> like i said, this story was inspired by another story (link in beginning notes). it's a bit different considering i added a bit of backstory, the ending was quite different, and some other things, so i wouldn't say i copied anything. just idea inspiration(:
> 
> i proofread, or at least i tried, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know. 
> 
> anyways, thank you for reading. feedback is always very helpful. love y'all<3


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